What is the drink-driving limit in Gibraltar?

Short answer

The legal limit in Gibraltar is 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100ml of breath, 80mg per 100ml of blood or 107mg per 100ml of urine. Spain's limits are lower, so a driver who is legal in Gibraltar can be over the limit after crossing the border.

Detailed answer

The limits are set by the Traffic Act 2005, which has no separate lower limit for new or professional drivers.

Driving or attempting to drive over the limit carries a fine of up to £10,000 (level 5), up to six months' imprisonment, or both. Being in charge of a vehicle over the limit carries up to £4,000 (level 4), up to three months, or both. The same penalties apply to driving while unfit through drink or drugs, and refusing without reasonable excuse to give a specimen is punished in the same way as driving over the limit. Courts can disqualify drivers for these offences, and causing death by careless driving while over the limit carries up to 14 years in prison.

In one reported case, a driver who gave a breath reading of 111 microgrammes was fined £500 and banned from driving for 12 months.

Spain's general limit is 0.25mg per litre of breath (0.5g per litre of blood). For novice drivers, meaning those who have held a licence for under two years, and professional drivers, it is 0.15mg per litre of breath (0.3g per litre of blood). Spanish fines are €500 with 4 licence points or €1,000 with 6 points depending on the reading, and above 0.60mg per litre of breath the offence becomes a crime carrying a ban of one to four years. Spain plans to lower its general limit further, but as of August 2026 the change was not in force.

If you plan to drive into Spain, the safest course is not to drink at all.